Long-term planning strategy SmartGrowth are being asked to take a closer look behind the numbers that are being talked about for the Western Bay of Plenty sub region.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby wants SmartGrowth to look closely at the types of businesses that are being attracted to the area, insisting some will suit the region better than others as local providers of employment.

Photo: File.

'A milk powder factory that was looking for a home is an example,” says Stuart.

'There was a baby dry milk power factory up for grabs around the central North Island, and we would have to ask ourselves whether we want to pitch for that because they use a lot of water, a lot of waste water, and they actually don't employ a lot of people and take up a lot of land.

'So we just need to be quite strategic about who we are approaching to be here and the skill sets required.

'I guess the point I was making is you have to be careful about how you grow. You don't just grow for growth's sake, and that applies for economical development as well.”

Regional councillor Paula Thompson wants SmartGrowth to closely identify the people who are expected to be moving into the Western Bay of Plenty as part of the growth.

'Who is coming to Tauranga?” asks Paula.

'Not just now, but into the future. What will they look like? What will their age profile be? Their ethnicity?

'The second issue is, where are they all going to work if they are within the working age profile.

'I guess that's what I'm really after. We have invested a huge amount into education, the tertiary institute, so my question is are going to be able to have a skilled workforce, and for what?”

The regional growth strategy is pointing at primary industry employment, and aquaculture, but Paula wants to know about the service industries and the health industry.

'What we hear is business is booming,” she adds.

'You only have to look around. That's all great but the question remains, for whom? And what's the place going to look like in future? We just need some evidence I guess.”

City councillor John Robson says people are claiming Tauranga is booming, but tradespeople in the city haven't had a lift in their hourly rate for a decade.

'There's a narrative running around that this city is booming,” claims John. 'I don't buy it. (Tauranga MP) Simon Bridges used that phrase at the city leaders' lunch. There are things happening here, but it's pretty narrow.

'Tauranga has been here before, where the residential property thing has taken off, and that's fine, there are some metrics by which we are growing. But there's a question - how good is that growth?

'Mumbai is a very big place, but would you really want to be the average inhabitant? Size isn't everything.”

The question is about the growth, says John. Is it good growth? Who's benefiting from it? Where are the costs lying, and how does the city rebalance? What is council's role in that, and what is SmartGrowth's role in that.

Paula's question goes back to a need to understand what's happening in the sub region. Does SmartGrowth need to plan for more retirement centres, more innovation centres or more education centres?

'Chances are it's a balance, but to determine the balance and to influence it, we need knowledge,” says John.

'We are evidence-short and we have a history in this city of making decisions based on assumptions, and we all know the saying about assumptions.”

SmartGrowth sets the direction for the growth and development of the Western Bay on key issues across the spectrum of social, environmental, economic and cultural objectives.

It includes representatives from the three Western Bay of Plenty councils, Maori and the NZ Transport Agency.